The present invention relates to a composition which, when burned, will produce both red smoke and bright flame.
The basic use of colored displays is for communication and colored signals are used to indicate conditions of distress, identification, recognition and warning. Color signals are also used as markers to indicate the position of opposing elements for purposes of acquisition and attack. The basic requirement for a colored display is that it must provide a highly visible, unambiguous, easily identifiable mark.
Colored displays generally take the form of colored flares for night signaling and colored smokes for day signaling. Many devices provide only the single signal, that is, it will produce either smoke or flame, but not both, thus it is frequently necessary to carry both smoke signals or flare signals.
In order to eliminate the necessity of carrying two types of signals, some signals are made that serve a dual function. In one type of signal, a smoke signal is provided on one end and a flare signal is provided on the opposite end. One such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,550, entitled "One Hand Operable Distress Signal," which issued Sept. 30, 1975, to Bobby D. Beatty et al. In this distress signal a container is provided which has a smoke-producing composition in one end and a flare composition in the other end. Each pyrotechnic composition is contained in a separate inner container which in turn are housed in a telescoping fashion in each end of an outer container. A spring is provided for extending each inner container and a locking lever is provided for retaining the inner container inside the outer container. Once the inner container is extended, a manual firing lever is accessible for actuating a firing pin which detonates a primer and, in turn, ignites a pyrotechnic material.
One disadvantage to devices which provide both a smoke signal and a flare signal is that the time of display for each signal is relatively short in order to provide for both displays and normally the unit is lost or discarded after burning one end. Also these devices are relatively expensive as dual hardware is used on both ends.
In order to eliminate dual hardware, some dual units are made which are designed to burn first a smoke composition followed by a flare. Obviously, of course, the shorter display time is still present. An additional disadvantage with this signal is one of producing a good flare color. In operation, these signals first burn the smoke composition and a solid carbonaceous clinker remains after the burning reaction. When the flare composition is ignited, the flame must burn through the center of this clinker and the color of the flame can be severely degraded.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,901, which issued Jan. 22, 1980, to John E. Tanner, Jr. and Henry A. Webster III, there is disclosed a composition for simultaneously producing, when burned, yellow smoke and yellow flame. The composition is comprised of between 5 and 30 percent of a fuel which is either magnesium or silicon, between 65 and 85 percent of bismuth subnitrate and between 5 and 13 percent of an epoxy binder.